Surfing in Iceland in September

Conditions in September

Water temp. : 11 °C
Wetsuit : 5/4 mm, hood, gloves and boots

September is when the North Atlantic starts producing again. The first depressions of the autumn reach the island, the Reykjanes breaks wake up, and the swell arrives into a day that is still long enough to work around.

That pairing does not come back. By November the swell is at its best and the water has dropped three degrees while the daylight has halved; by March the light has returned and the water is at its coldest. September is the only month where the sea is still holding summer's 11°C and there is something to surf in it. If you want to see what this coast does without committing to a winter trip, this is when.

Learning in September

Manageable if you have a season behind you, but the character changes quickly. From here on a session starts with the forecast, not with a look out of the window.

For an experienced surfer

Surf : Very good

The season opening with summer's water still in it. The best trade of the year between swell, light and cold.

How September compares

All twelve months, side by side

Where these figures come from

Air, rain and sunshine: WMO / NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Agadir Al Massira, a station some twenty kilometres inland and so a little warmer than the coast in summer. Swell, period and share of workable wind: Swell Archive and surf-forecast. Water temperature: seatemperature.org and weather-and-climate. Crowds and prices are an editorial judgement, not a measurement.